Young Munster scare was a wake-up call for Lansdowne, says Mike Ruddock

If Lansdowne manage to win the Ulster Bank League title against champions Clontarf at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (1pm), they will be eternally grateful to Young Munster for giving them a timely wake-up call.

Lansdowne finished top of the league and secured a home semi-final against the Limerick side, who travelled to Dublin as rank outsiders only to force the game to extra-time before succumbing (19-23) to a last-minute try.

Thankful for that late reprieve, Lansdowne’s head coach Mike Ruddock said he hoped ultimately that the fright they got from a dogged Young Munster would help them in their quest to win a second title in three years.